Remember…
Various Scriptures
Memorial Service for Aberdeen Living Center
March 10, 2004
Introduction
It is my distinct pleasure to address you here today. And my hope and prayer is that you will leave here encouraged in the hope that we have in God, and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
When I was asked to do this, I was, quite frankly, at a loss as to what I should say. But upon prayer and reflection, I believe that what I will share with you will be helpful.
My desire is to give you three ideas that will help you in your remembrances of your loved ones, but more than that, I hope to point you to the comfort that God can give us as we remember those who have gone on before us.
1. Remember that God ordained our lives.
God is the one who has determined the length of our lives, and He knows how they are spent.
Listen to the words of King David in Psalm 139:
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
So often we think that our lives hinge on circumstance, fate, or whatever.
But the truth is that it is God Himself is the one who determines how long we live.
And I say that for one purpose: it’s to remind us that God is in control, and His purposes prevail, no matter how it looks to us.
The Bible says that God sees the whole picture. We, on the other hand, can only see what’s in front of us.
And so when God allows a loved one to pass, it is because He knows what is best for all involved, including those of us who have been left behind.
I know that’s not easy to understand, but it’s the truth.
The Bible says that the all-powerful God knows all. And He knows what He’s doing. Therefore, we can trust in God for what’s best.
My wife and I have lost 2 children to miscarriage. The second one was far enough along to know that he was a little boy.
We named him Enoch, because the Bible says that a man named Enoch walked with God, and then God took him.
And as I held him in the palm of my hand after he was delivered, my heart broke, and my wife and I cried and anguished.
And there have been numerous times when my wife and I have wondered why God did not allow our little boy to grow up to be a man.
I don’t have an answer for that, except to say that I have to trust God that He knows what’s best, and that my son’s days, even in the womb, were ordained and ordered by God.
And that has comforted me a number of times. So I encourage you to remember, first of all, that God is the one who ordains our days.
Here’s the point here I wish to bring about here: one of the best ways we can honor the memory of our loved ones is to honor the One who allowed them to be part of our lives in the first place.
So you know what I do? I have made it a point to thank God for my children who are with God, thanking Him for even the smallest opportunity to have been a part of their extremely short lives.
This is both honoring to God, and I believe, honoring to the memory of those who have gone before.
Second, I want to encourage you to…
2. Remember your loved ones in a practical manner.
Many of you are doing this already, I’m sure, because you want to keep the memory of your loved on alive, and I’m all in favor of that.
Placing flowers at the grave or at the site of their passing, looking at photo albums or videos, these are good things to do.
These not only help us maintain a tangible contact, if you will, but especially in the photos and videos, we tend to remember good times when we laughed and played together.
Another practical thing I would suggest is to maintain contact with friends and relatives of your loved one, to re-connect and reminisce with each other, giving each other comfort.
Tell each other stories of how that person impacted you and made you laugh. This will actually minister to the others, and we can all use some of that.
You might think of other practical ways to remember your loved one, but please, make the effort.
Please don’t try to deny your sorrow and grief. That’s a natural human emotion that God placed in you.
Let it out – there’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, God knows how you feel, which I’ll get to in just a minute.
Remember your loved ones in a practical manner. And lastly…
3. Remember that God the Father knows how you feel.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my short time on earth is this:
God knows how it feels to lose a loved one. You see, God the Father sent His own Son to die for you and me.
And when you think about it, His Son’s life was taken brutally at the hands of other men.
Why do I bring this up?
Because we can call out to a God who knows how we feel.
You see, when we are hurting and grieving over the loss of a loved one, we can call out to the God who’s been there.
During the times I have cried out to God about my children, the Holy Spirit gently comforts me by reminding me that God knows how I feel and that He is with me, experiencing it with me.
And the comfort and encouragement that floods my soul is indescribable.
Conclusion
So how do we put this all together?
Two things:
First, look at how you can find ways to remember your loved one in practical ways, and make them happen.
I can tell you from personal experience that this is healing to the soul.
Second, I would write down a prayer or some sort of reminder that goes something like this:
God ordained my days and the days of my loved ones, and He knows how I feel because He’s been there.
Put it on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your desk, computer, or whatever. But put it someplace where you will see it and be reminded of His love and care for you.
Before I close in prayer, allow me to read just one more passage of Scripture, from Psalm 73.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
…as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Shall we pray.
